In recent years, image recording materials have mainly been materials for forming color image and, specifically, ink jet recording materials, thermal transfer recording materials, electrophotographic recording materials, transfer process silver halide light-sensitive materials, printing inks and recording pens have popularly been utilized. Also, color filters for recording or reproducing color images have been used in imaging devices such as CCD in the field of photographing devices or in LCD or PDP in the field of display. In these color image recording materials or color filters, trichromatic dyes (dyes or pigments) based on additive color mixing or subtractive color process are used in order to display or record a full-color image. However, the fact is that there are no fast dyes which have absorption characteristics capable of realizing a preferable color-reproducible region and which can resist various using conditions and environmental conditions, thus improvement of the dyes having been eagerly desired.
Dyes for the above-described uses are commonly required to have the following characteristics. That is, they are required to have preferred absorption characteristics in view of color reproduction, to have fastness for environmental conditions under which they are used, such as light-fastness, heat resistance, humidity resistance, resistance against an oxidizing gas such as ozone, and resistance against chemicals such as a sulfurous acid gas, and to provide inks having an excellent storage stability. Thus, dyes which have a good yellow hue, a good fastness to light, a good fastness to heat and moisture and a good fastness to an active gas contained in environment, and which has an excellent storage stability have eagerly been desired.
As yellow dye skeleton to be used in an ink for ink jet recording, azo-based dyes are typical. As typical examples of the azo dyes, fast dyes having a triazinylpyrazole skeleton are described in JP-A-2003-277662. However, dyes capable of providing a more excellent storage stability are desired.